By Jeff Moss
DetroitSportsRag@GMail.com
September 8, 2016
Earlier this morning Detroit News writer Tony Paul posted an article regarding former Red Wings forward Brendan Shanahan’s induction into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame where the three-time Stanley Cup champion will join such dignitaries as William Clay Ford, Sr. in those hallowed halls.
Well, hallowed halls is being kind since the MSHOF doesn’t actually have a museum you can attend after it was evicted from an alcove at Cobo Hall a few years back. Who wouldn’t want to take their child to a building where all of the plaques were displayed so little Johnny or Jane could ask, “Who was William Clay Ford, Sr. and why is he here?”
You think “the birds and the bees” discussion is a tough one to have? Try answering the question about WCF.
Is it already time for my annual rant bashing the MSHOF for inducting the worst owner in professional sports history while in the middle of the Matt Millen holocaust?
Actually, I am going to skip it this year and just wonder if Bastion Booger should expect a phone call from the WWE next year congratulating him on his induction to their Hall of Fame.
Anyway, a couple of items from the Paul piece piqued my interest.
First, Shanahan’s continued insistence that he left Detroit because he just thought it was time to move on. Here are his quotes:
I could feel it was coming. I’d always sort of felt I wanted to walk out the door rather than get pushed out the door, or have a whole lot of people talking behind your back.
“We had two respectful forwards in (Henrik) Zetterberg and (Pavel) Datsyuk that had become our best players, and I think the team just needed to be handed over to them. I probably could’ve stayed and become sort of that veteran guy that people said, ‘He’s still good, but he used to be better.’
The actual people talking behind Shanahan’s back when he left town were the yentas in Bloomfield Hills (mothers, babysitters, etc.) who claimed the REAL reason Shanny left the Wings was due to the fact that he had a relationship with the team’s anthem singer Karen Newman and Brendan’s wife gave him an ultimatum that involved leaving Metro Detroit.
The second interesting item I took away from today’s article was the reference that Shanahan won the 2003 King Clancy Memorial Trophy for the NHL player who “exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community.”
Wait. Shanahan won an award for qualities off the ice and for being a humanitarian. The same Brendan Shanahan who pulled a Simon Cowell in St. Louis when he stole his linemate Craig Janney’s wife?
Yep, Janney graciously offered to let Shanahan live with him when the power forward was sent to the Blues in a convoluted free-agency mess revolving around Scott Stevens.
And in return for Janney’s hospitality, Shanahan lifted his spouse. The same Mrs. Janney-Shanahan who allegedly gave Brendan the Karen Newman/Leave Detroit ultimatum, if you are to believe the Real Housewives of Bloomfield Township.
This got me thinking about other Detroit athletes who have been honored for their humanity and sportsmanship. The NBA trophy — which is given to the player who “exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship on the court with ethical behavior, fair play, and integrity” — is literally named after Joe Dumars.
(Photo by Randy Belice/NBAE via Getty Images)
Amazingly, the league decided not to rename the award after Dumars was caught in an NBA-led sting operation to discover who was leaking secret league memos to Yahoo! basketball writer Adrian Wojnarowski.Yep, Mr. Ethics and Integrity was providing Wojnarowski secret information in exchange for positive coverage from the most influential NBA scribe in America.
But that’s not all of the questionable “citizenship” honors in Detroit over the recent past. In 2009, Lions center Dominic Raiola was presented with the “Good Guy Award” by the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association and Detroit Chapter-PFWA.
Dominic Raiola. Good Guy. Have those words ever been used in the same paragraph before? And while this honor came BEFORE Raiola harassed members of the University of Wisconsin marching band, it was AFTER he gave the middle finger to Lions fans at Ford Field.
I’m guessing we are just weeks away from Tyler Collins receiving this award as well.
And speaking of the Tigers, just the OTHER DAY, their nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award for the player who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team” was announced.
Now, for the youngsters who might not remember, Clemente was a Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer who DIED in a plane crash while delivering food and supplies to victims of a devastating earthquake in Nicaragua back in 1972.
So who is this year’s Tiger nominee?
Miguel Cabrera.
Now, I hope that Miggy has his life in order, but should a man be in the running for this honor when has a resume that includes the following incidents?
- Got drunk with the Chicago White Sox during the last week of a pennant chase
- Was involved in a domestic violence issue with his wife
- Once called a young kid overweight and told him that he needed to work out.
- Threatened to blow up a restaurant and murder patrons
- Blew a .26 when getting arrested for a DUI
- Behaved so unprofessionally with the media during the 2014 season that Detroit News baseball writer Tom Gage felt compelled to write about it. The same Tom Gage whom the Tigers honored the following season upon his retirement. Not exactly a hatchet man.
Look, I am not saying that Cabrera couldn’t have completely turned his life around, but doesn’t that rap sheet disqualify you from EVER being considered for an award named after a man who died while assisting victims of a natural disaster?
I think so.
I mean, if THESE are the gentlemen who are being honored for their good deeds, what the fuck are the rest of our “heroes” up to?
(You can follow the writer of this piece on Twitter @JeffMossDSR. Also, you can join in on the discussion of this article on Facebook by clicking here.)
